


One Way Road

by theonlymoosewhoeatssalad



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Gen, Road Trips, Triplets, platonic siblings, separated triplets au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-12-25
Updated: 2015-01-22
Packaged: 2018-03-03 10:36:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 9,242
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2847887
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theonlymoosewhoeatssalad/pseuds/theonlymoosewhoeatssalad
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tyrone was not going to go to a foster home just because his grandmother didn't want him to live with his mom or dad. So, he did what any teenager desperate for a real family would do and went on a road trip to find his parents and... his twins?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Will

It wasn't something that anyone really saw coming from both of them. It was really the worst thing could happen to both the teenagers. The girl came from a family of orthodox Christians and the boy came from one of the few families that were Jewish. They were only fifteen and everyone in town could only imagine how their family had reacted when they found out. The two teenagers were forced to go through with the pregnancy, deal with every problem together and when the triplets were finally born, were split up.  
The boy took the two identical boys with him and the girl took the only girl. The girl was forced to move to the East Coast, while the boy stayed in California. Eventually the boy could no longer take care of both boys together and was forced to let his parents take the smaller one with them to Florida. The boy, now a man, was disowned by his mother, but his father kept in touch. Sadly, his father died before the triplets first birthday and now his mother had complete custody of the youngest triplet.

It wasn't until many years later, after Tyrone had turned 16 that his grandmother died. That was where his life had gone downhill. Like all the way downhill. He tugged on his brown bangs and stared at the grass and shifted from one leg to the other quite often. He didn't really understand what the ancient old man was saying, but he had already said his part and as an Avelim, all he really had to do was look sad. That was the easiest part because his face was red and blotchy from crying. His all black suit was big on his body since his grandmother had always made sure he would grow into the stuff she bought him.   
His grandmother was like that though. Ty couldn't remember a time when she wasn't yelling at him for going digging around in things that weren't his or that one time she found him with a skirt on and now that he thought about it, his grandmother was a very intolerant person, but that didn't stop him from loving her. She had raised him after all.  
Ty couldn't stop himself from glancing around at everyone who had been invited to this little mourning party of depressing doom, eyes lingering on a guy that was obviously older, yet still handsome. Did his grandmother know this man? Because he didn't. 

By the time the funeral ended, Ty was thoroughly ready to just stay in bed for the next ten to fifteen hours. Omigod, he was tired! He didn't like the part when everyone had to comfort him; he had absolutely no idea what they were even saying to him. He had to stand there and watch as they tore his scarf in half and god that scarf had been so pretty and they had torn it.   
Pouting, he went up to his room after everyone had left and flopped on his bed. He fell asleep pretty quickly. That week had gone by slowly and while he was allowed a week off from school, he didn’t know if he even wanted to go back. He wasn't even really paying attention when he picked up the phone. 

“Wait can you say that again?” he asked, after realizing he hadn't heard a thing the lawyer had said. There was a sigh from the other end.

“I said, we need to talk about your grandmother’s will and I need you in the office on Saturday around 3.” Well, that sounded important.

“Uh… sure. I can get there by 3,” he muttered, a slight frown on his face.

“Good.” They hung up and Ty stared at the phone for a good five minutes before setting it down. He turned and went to the pantry to get something to snack on before heading to the living room to finish his movie. 

That Saturday, Ty was sitting in the lawyer’s office since 2:30 and he was starting to get annoyed. Not that he had other plans, he didn't. He just wanted to get out of there as soon as possible. Finally, he heard his name and got up to enter the actual office with his grandmother’s lawyer. He sat in the chair in front of the man’s desk and picked at his nails. 

“So, let’s begin,” the lawyer, Mr. Green, started. Tyrone looked up at him, a bored expression on his otherwise friendly face and nodded. 

“You get everything she left behind when you turn 21. So that involves, the house, the money, the land around the house and the car.” Ty nodded. That wasn't something he didn't know. 

“Okay, but did she say who I was supposed to live with?” She must have left a name or something because the lawyers made it very clear that he was too young to live on his own and this state didn't allow teenagers to live by themselves and since his grandmother was a very rich woman, they wouldn't look past Ty like they would someone who lived somewhere less nice. 

“She said specifically not to deliver you to your mother or your father. And her brother is out of the question.” That piqued his interest. 

“Wait. Grandma said they died?” He sat up and leaned closer. The lawyer gave him a look that said ‘why the fuck would she say that?’ before he started talking again, but Ty ignored him.

“So, if I can’t live with my mother, father or uncle… where am I supposed to go?” The lawyer gave him the most pitied look he had ever received. 

“She… she said she’d rather you in the foster system than with your parents or her brother.” What? Was she serious? Oh hell no!

“I’m not going to live in a foster home!” 

“Son, you really don’t have a choi-“ Ty cut him off by standing up abruptly. 

“Where do my parents live?” 

“Mr. Pines…”

“Where?” The lawyer sighed and wrote down two addresses on a sticky note and passed it to Ty. He looked down at them before looking back up at the lawyer. “I don’t care what she says… They’re my parents. And I refuse to be considered an orphan when I’m really not.”

“Mr. Pines, your mother disowned you...” Ty shrugged and headed out of the office. He got in his car and drove home, thinking that maybe his mom had no choice and she gave her kid up to let him have a better life. But that made no sense, his parents were clearly separated, but hey, he could hope right?   
He packed his bag that night and got all the money from his savings and could barely sleep that night because he was finally going to meet his mom and god it was so great knowing he had a mom.


	2. Road Trips Can Be Fun

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tyrone's experience with a ten hour drive.

The first five hours of driving hadn't been terrible, but at some point after that Tyrone felt so drained and found himself zoning out every now and then. He ended up pulling off the highway to stop for gas. He got out of the car and just stood there. He had never been sitting for so long, always being so active. Mainly because his grandmother always told him he’d get fat and no one would ever like him if he gained too much weight.

When he had put the address into his GPS, he had found his mother lived in North Carolina, which was a shorter trip than the one to California. Ty didn't think a ten hour drive would be that bad, but boy was he wrong! He felt like jelly and he was only half way there… He sighed and shook himself a bit. It was cooler here than it was in Florida. He looked around for signs that told him which state he was in, but he didn't find any and that sort of bummed him out.

Ty slid his debit card into the card slot of the station he was at and lifted the nozzle. He opened the gas door thing and placed the nozzle into the tank. He settled back against his car as gas was pumped into his tank. He hummed Carol of Bells for no particular reason, simply because he had been learning it in band and he kind of missed playing his trombone.

The nozzle clicked when the tank reached full and he looked up to see the price. $34.56. Well that wasn't bad. He smiled and put the nozzle back, glad his little car didn't need a lot of gas, but it still went pretty far. One could say he was spoiled, but that was hardly the case. He had to earn his car. His grades had to be perfect and any less resulted in his trombone being taken away from him for months until they were picked up. 

Tyrone got back in his car after closing the gas tank again and sat there for about ten minutes. Did he really want to continue driving right now? No, not particularly. He pulled forward into a parking space and got out again, locking it behind him as he headed inside the gas station. He sent an awkward smile to the girl behind the counter and just started browsing the isles. Ty nibbled on his lips, hands stuffed into his jean pockets. He wasn't really looking at what he was facing, but he just wanted to move around so his legs didn't hurt as badly. 

Shuffling, he moved around the gas station before going up to the cashier with a bag of chips and a bottle of soda. She smiled at him and wrung him up slowly. He shifted awkwardly from leg to leg before pulling out his wallet and handing over a five. “Keep the change,” he muttered, wandering out before she even had the chance to put the money away with the bag in tow. 

Tyrone got back in his car and sighed. He didn't want to continue driving. It made him feel so alone. Wishing he had a travel partner, he started the car and got back on the highway. He’d lost an hour just messing around in the store. Ty yawned and cranked the music up to drown out the idea of time as he sped up past the speed limit. Had to make up that time. 

The places he passed whizzed by quickly, the sun now setting and causing Tyrone to turn on his headlights. He was almost to the city he was headed to, smiling and loudly singing to some Bruno Mars song. Ty checked his mirrors before getting in the exit lane and slowing down so he could actually stop at the stop sign. He had an hour left to the destination, but it was getting late and he was soooo tired.  
Licking his lips, he turned right and headed for a not so shady looking hotel. He looked around, but instead of heading toward the first Hampton hotel he’d seen, he stopped at taco bell. With tacos now in his car, he headed back to the hotel to check in. 

“Hey, room for one please?” He smiled, looking at the sweet looking girl in front of him. 

“Sure. Twin or full?” Ty tilted his head and thought for a moment. 

“Full,” he decided. She gave him a polite smile. 

“Yeah, you’re pretty tall.” Ty looked down at his legs before laughing softly. He guessed he was normal sized, but really? Tall? Him? That was a new one. 

“Maybe you’re just short,” he laughed and she joined him before handing him a room key and he handed her his debit car. 

“Thank you for choosing Hampton Hotels.” He nodded and headed to his car to grab his duffle and his tacos before going up to the room that was printed in large black letters on his card key. He entered the room silently and flipped on the lights. It smelt like normal hotel smell and he cringed at the neat, but uncomfortable looking bed. Well, he had seen worse, he supposed. 

Ty sat down on the bed and opened his taco bell box so he could enjoy his tacos. And he did. God he loved tacos. Granted, taco bell tacos weren't the best, but they were tacos and they were oh so satisfying. After he finished eating, he got in the shower, feeling sweaty despite not doing anything besides sitting in a car and turning slightly to the left or right. Like, Jesus, there was no point in feeling so gross since he had done nothing! Nothing! 

The water felt so nice on his sweaty skin and his hair sagged from the weight of the water. Ahh… showers were so amazing. Ty closed his eyes and scrubbed himself thoroughly with the soap provided by the hotel. Softly, he started singing his grandmother’s old bath song for him, making him feel like shit for disobeying her and going to find his mother, but it was his mother and while he loved his grandma, he knew she could be cold and callous and she held grudges for a reeeeeally long time. Like, a super long time. She would always throw it back in his face when he got an F on a math final and it brought his overall grade down by six percent. 

Sighing, he washed his hair, rinsed, conditioned, rinsed and got out. He rubbed himself dry with the towel before doing the same to his hair with it. Naked, he walked back to the bed and flopped back down on it before paranoia about bed bugs caused him to get up and put his pajama pants on. He crawled into the comforter, turned the TV on and fell asleep to the lull of The Parent Trap playing in the background.


	3. Mabel Pines

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tyrone is at his mother's house and is really nervous. But the person he finds isn't his mother.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had no idea when the triplet's birthday would be, I could only find that it was in August since it signaled the end of summer, so I came up with August 17th. I hope that's okay. 
> 
> Also. This is a really long chapter.

Tyrone wrung his hands nervously, pacing in front of the doorway of the house his mother supposedly lived in. He shuddered from the slight chill in the air and looked around, hoping maybe someone would know if she actually lived here. He didn’t even know his mother’s name… How was he supposed to explain this? 

Would he just say ‘Oh, hey there. I know you don’t, like, know me or anything,but I was told by my grandma’s lawyer that you were my mother’? Yeah, no that would not work. Ty groaned and pulled out his phone to look at the time. 11:00 in the morning. He looked around once again and raised his hand to knock on the door. Nothing. No answer. Sighing, he went back to his car. It was Monday, so that meant she was working right? It must have. 

Ty drove around waiting for the afternoon, not doing anything in particular that was considered productive. He drove past a high school a couple of times and sat in a Barnes and Noble for a couple of hours before heading back to his mother’s house around four to see if she was there. He gulped on his way up to the door before gaining to courage to knock for the second time that day. Inside, he heard bouncing and a sort of excited squeal before the door opened and he was greeted by a girl his age with long, bouncy, brown hair and a rainbow sticker on her cheek. Her smile fell when she realized it wasn’t who she thought it was going to be, but tilted her head at him confused. 

“Um… hi. I’m Tyrone… Tyrone Pines. I was uh...told that this was my… birth mother’s house?” He wrung his hands nervously together as she looked him up and down, cheeks puffed in a weird contemplative way. 

“Your...mother?” she asked, letting her hand fall from the doorway.

“Y yeah…” he stuttered, looking away from her terrifyingly curious gaze. 

“The only mom who lives here is my mom and she’s at work.” Ty rubbed his cheek and wondered if his mother had moved at some point because this was getting increasingly awkward for him and he didn’t know how to deal with it. 

“Uh… right… um… well.. ok. I’ll just leave then.” Ty turned and headed back to his car. 

“Wait! You said your name was Pines right?” He stopped, turning to look at her. 

“Uh… yeah. My name is Pines.” 

“I’m Mabel Pines.” She was staring at him with a look that he couldn’t quite name. “We might be related,” she added. Ty shook his head. 

“No, I don’t think so.There’s a cross hanging behind you and I come from a Jewish family.” 

“We have the same last names.”

“True… Maybe, but Pines isn’t exactly an uncommon last name. My grandma’s never told me about any of my family,” he walked back up to her and pulled out his phone. He opened it and pulled up his pictures. His lawyer had sent him pictures of his mother and father a day ago, so he showed her the picture of his mom. “This is what my mother looks like apparently. I’ve never met her, so this might be an old picture, but I really need to talk to her.” When he stopped talking, he noticed Mabel looking really surprised and then she looked up at him like she was going to hurl all over him. 

“That’s… my mom,” she muttered and ho…. he had not expected that! He took a step back and stared at her. 

“What?”

“That’s my mom. That picture is of my mother!” Mabel was watching him with wide eyes. 

“Th that’s not true… Is it?” Because if it was true, that would make this girl his sister and as far as he knew he didn’t have a sister. Mabel nodded slowly as if his whole world wasn't crumbling around him. His grandmother had lied to him about so much, kept things from him that was kind of important to know! Look at him! He was a brother and he had no idea! He was a spoiled, shy, nerdy band weirdo!

Mabel reached out to him. "Oh flubber bubbles... I have a brother?" That snapped him out of his funk. She was probably just as hurt. 

".... Wow... Um. Wait. Flubber bubbles?" He stared at his... sister before she gestured him inside. 

"Tyrone right?" He nodded, following her into the living room after shutting the door behind him. "How old are you?"

"I'm sixteen." She flopped down on the couch. 

"No way. Me too!" Ty stared at her. How were they the same age if they were brother and sister?

"When is your birthday, Mabel?"

"August 17th," she smiled at him before she realized why he asked and stared at him with wide eyes, the sticker on her cheek coming off slightly with the movement of her expressions. "You don't   
think..."

"I do." 

"But that would mean..." 

"Yeah..." 

"I have a twin... And it's a boy." 

"You know this isn't fun for me either..." He sagged in his chair, putting his head in his hands. "This isn't the trip I was hoping for..."

"I'm... I'm sorry, Tyrone." 

"No... No. It's not your fault. I just really need to talk to your mom... Um... Our mom..." Mabel looked down, wetting her lips with her tongue. 

"For... for what?" Ty looked up at her and gave her a tight lipped smile. And he told her. He told her everything that was about to happen to him.

"You can live here! With us! We can go to school together! And be awesome twins! We could totally become the best twins ever!" He laughed at her enthusiasm and understood that determined look in her eyes. 

"All we gotta do is wait for your mom," Tyrone added.

"Our mom," she corrected, pointing at him and winking. Ty chuckled.   
For the next few hours, Mabel and Ty learned everything they could about each other. Ty found out Mabel like arts and crafts and pink and she loves eating cereal in the morning. They connected so easily, it was strange that they were ever apart. 

Mabel thought it was so cool that they were able to connect to so much. The only thing they didn’t really connect about was the fact that Ty felt sort of drawn to mystery and Sci-Fi stuff. Ty couldn’t believe he had a twin. She was so bubbly and exciting and she made up such cool alternative cuss words. 

“So I’m half Jewish right? You said your granny was orthodox,” Ty nodded, sipping his Dr. Pitt, “I’ve never met her, so you must have been with our dad’s parents for like your whole squiggly digging life, bro bro.” Ty blinked at her before nodding thoughtfully. 

“Wow. Didn’t think about that. But I’ve never met the guy. He wasn’t even at grandma’s funeral.”

“Well, you said that you granny put a big no on you living with either of them. Maybe he wasn’t allowed to go?” Mabel had her feet up on the coffee table in front of them and was failing at looking like she was doing her homework. Of course, Ty was just staring at it because he knew how to do it, but wasn’t about to do her homework for her. 

“Maybe,” was his only response before a rumbling started and that meant the garage door was opening and that meant his mom was home. Mabel jumped to her feet and ran to the garage door to greet her. Ty stayed where he was. 

He barely heard Mabel saying how she had someone here that she wanted her mom to meet and how her mom hoped it wasn’t another snotty girl that ripped on Mabel all the time for the stickers she wore on her face. He shrunk into the couch before getting up and waiting for them to get to the living room. Mabel came through the door first. Then a woman with a lighter shade of brown hair came into the room and stopped dead in her tracks when she saw him. 

Did she know who he was?  
Did he look like their dad?   
Was their something on his face? He rubbed his cheeks just to be sure. 

“H hello. I’m… Tyrone Pines.” He stuck out a shaky hand for her to shake. “I um… I don’t actually know, but… I think I’m your son.” She didn’t take his hand to shake. She didn’t even smile. She had no expression on her face whatsoever, simply turned and walked back into the kitchen until he heard a door down the hall close. Tyrone’s hand dropped to his side, his eyes stinging and heart beating a thousand miles a minute. He couldn’t see Mabel’s face, but he knew for a fact that she was confused too. 

“Tyronicus…”

“No… no it’s ok… I… I was told she had given me away…” To which Mabel shrieked what and ran down the hall to their… her mother’s room. Ty clambered for the door and hurled himself towards his car. Behind him he heard Mabel calling for him probably because he had knocked over a lamp on his way out the door. He struggled to get into his car, starting it after fumbling with the keys, but Mabel was able to get to him and get in the car with him by that time. 

“Mabel, no. I can’t take you with me.”

“Well that’s too bad. I want to meet my dad too.” She looked super duper pissed off, so Tyrone just threw the car into drive and slammed his foot on the pedal and they were gone before their mother could even get out the door. It was about an hour later, after Mabel had gotten off the phone with their mom and getting forced permission to go with him and stopping for gas that Ty realized how bad an idea it was for Mabel to come. 

“He lives in California,” he said, both hands gripping the steering wheel a little too tightly. 

“How long of a drive is that?”

“I dunno. Maybe two days.” 

“It’ll take two fricking fracking days to drive literally across country.” Ty looked over at her before pointing at the GPS on the touch screen radio. 

“Touch the Navigation button,” she did so. “Okay. Now, type in this address,” he handed her the paper with their dad’s address on it. She did that as well, though it took a bit longer since she obviously didn’t know how to use it. “This is such a bad idea,” he muttered, scratching at his nose. 

“This is such a good idea, broseph.” Tyrone glanced at her. She would need a bag of clothes. 

“We should head back to your house first,” he said, trying not to sound like he didn’t want to just leave her there. 

“What? Why?” Oh god, she sounded so appalled.

“So we can get you a bag of clothes and anything else you need.” Mabel’s small oh sound was all the confirmation he needed to turn the car around and head back to her house so she could grab a bag. She had forced him inside with her so he wouldn’t (couldn’t) leave her there. When they were done, they were back on the road and headed on the right track toward California and Ty couldn’t push away the angry, hollow bubbling deep in the pit of his stomach, like he was making the biggest mistake of his life.


	4. California

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The drive from North Carolina to California is 39 hours and Tyrone has to drive all the way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is late. I'm sorry

Tyrone couldn't feel his legs. He didn't know how many times he had shifted and ohmygod he's only been driving for twelve hours! And that wasn't counting the two hours they spent at a gas station and a Wendy's! 

Mabel was next to him messing around on his phone. He had a better phone than she did, which he didn't think was a big deal, but she wouldn't give it back to him. Not even when he had to text his lawyer. Mabel never stopped texting her mom. Probably because her mom was worried. A feeling he couldn't quite place settled in his gut and he gulped thickly to make it go away. 

Mabel set his phone down after picking a song (finally) and she danced along with the music. Well, as much as she could being in a confined space going about 25 miles over the speed limit. Ty glanced at her briefly to confirm that she was (indeed) the reason his car was slightly jostling. She had another sticker on her face, this time it being a star rather than a rainbow. He yawned and stared at the road and God was he so bored and was tired of driving. 

So without telling Mabel what he was doing, he got off the highway at the next exit. Mabel stopped her dancing to look at him. 

"Whaaaaaat are we doing?" She asked, tilting her head. 

"I'm tired. I've been on the road for twelve hours today. And a day ago, I was on the road for ten. So I'm getting a hotel. Cause I'm gonna pass out!" He gave her a half smile and slowed down to look for a hotel. When he spotted a decent one, he pulled into the parking lot and parked. Tyrone yawned softly before turning the car off and getting out. Mabel followed him after he grabbed his duffle bag and went to the front doors. She didn't stay with him when he got the room instead wandering around the lobby until she saw Ty looking around for her. She bounced up to him and hugged his arm. He handed her a card key. 

"I got you your own room," he said, keeping his voice low. 

"Why?"

"I didn't think you would want to share a room with me." Mabel stared at him like he had grown a second head. What the fuck? "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"You're my bro bro! I want to get to know you more!"

"Mabel, you're a girl and you need privacy." Mabel narrowed her eyes at him.

"Fine. I'll respect your boundaries, you larfing noodle." She bopped him on the nose and made a boop sound before running off to the elevator. Was she really sixteen? She was so childish, though Tyrone didn't mind it. It was relaxing to be around her. To know he had some sort of family member that still cared about him. 

"California is still a long ways away huh?" Mabel asked, waiting for him by the elevator doors. Ty nodded tiredly, blinking slowly. She looked at him. "Wow you have bags under your eyes! Maybe it wasn't a good idea to drive all night..." 

Ty shook his head and yawned, stepping into the elevator when it dinged open with Mabel following him. She was quiet on the way up, but told him to get some rest and hugged him when they got to his door. Hesitantly, he hugged her back, realizing this was his sister. This was why he had felt so empty and lonely for years and years. And now he felt whole. Well... he still felt some emptiness, but it was probably because he didn't have his mother or father either. He smiled at her when they pulled away from each other and went inside his room. Tyrone couldn't even take off his jeans before he flopped on the bed and passed out. 

When he woke up, it was to a pounding on his door and he groaned at it, not wanting to get up. It persisted until he finally couldn't ignore it any longer and got up with a shout of fine. He looked at the clock to see that it was seven at night which freaked him out a bit because he slept for sooooo long. He opened the door to see his sister smiling at him with a box of donuts and two cups of coffee. How could he turn down that? Ty shook his head, laughing softly and let her in. She set the donuts and coffee near the tv and looked him over. 

"Well at least you look better!" She gave him a thumbs up and a wink. He nodded, rubbing his oily face with a frown. 

"I don't feel better though."

"You're brain is just foggy. Let it clear. With coffee!" She handed him a cup. He glanced at the clock again to calculate just how much time he had lost. 

"What were you doing this whole time?" He asked, looking back at Mabel. 

"I was watching movies and napping too. I showered and then got this. Since we're probably gonna drive all night again." Tyrone nodded in agreement as he sipped his coffee. Mabel smiled at him and offered him a donut, which he denied. 

"Nah, I'm watching my weight."

"What?" She sounded appalled. 

"Yeah."

"You're sixteen. You don't have to watch your weight." Wow, that was her reasoning? He didn't know if he believed her. 

"Bad habits start at this age," he countered. 

"Did you grandma ever say you were too fat or something? Cause you're perfect the way you are, Tyroni." Ty kept his mouth shut and stared at her with a frown. 

"I'll take one later...." Mabel groaned and put the box back. 

"Fine, but they aren't going to be good later. Do you feel better?" Ty wasn't sure if she was referring to his nap or to the fact that he had refused a donut, but he nodded anyway. The next sip of coffee wasn't as bad as the first sip. He felt much better actually. 

"Are you ready to go?" He asked. Setting the cup down, he sat to pull on his shoes while Mabel talked about how ready she was to meet their dad. He was ready too, but he was nervous. Really nervous actually. Though if he had to admit, he was more nervous when he was supposed to meet his mom. 

"Let's go let's go let's gooooooo," Mabel whined, practically bouncing in place. Her wavy brown hair cascaded around her and fell over her shoulders. Ty wondered if it was heavy. One time he didn't cut his hair for a year and his hair was so long and heavy he had to tilt his head to the side. 

"Okay okay." He laughed and stood, making sure to grab everything before he lead the way out the door then hotel to the car. 

"Going on a road trip, a road trip, a road trip." He heard her singing just like she had sung it before they had even gotten on the highway last night. They got in the car and Ty headed for the highway once again. He looked around for a sign that said which state they were in, but like always, he didn't see one. 

Ten more hours of driving, he saw a sign that said they had entered Kansas. He pointed it out and Mabel whooped because they were much closer than they thought. 

"That's still seventeen more hours," Mabel pointed out a little while later. 

"Seventeen hours closer. That's gonna be easier if we get more than ten hours today. It's only five in the morning." He poked the clock on the touch screen radio. She smiled and squealed. 

"I'm so excited!" He laughed and turned on the radio, so she could jam for the next five hours. He didn't stop until they were two hours out of the city they needed to be in. Tyrone pulled off the highway for another hotel. Gently he shook Mabel awake. 

"Mabes, wake up." She groaned, but sat up to look around. 

"Where are we?" She asked, rubbing her eyes. 

"California." That caught her attention. Her eyes sparkled. 

"Really?" He grinned and nodded. "How?"

"I didn't stop until we were really close." He got out of the car and helped her with her bags. She held his sleeve while he walked her to the front desk. He got two rooms once again and put her to bed. 

"Goodnight, bro-roni," she mumbled. Ty couldn't stop the stupid grin from spreading across his face. 

"Goodnight, sis." He left the room and went to his and lied down. Ty stared at the ceiling until he fell asleep.


	5. Dad

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tyrone and Mabel arrive at their dad's house in California.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not sure how well I did with the emotion.

The amount of energy emerging from Mabel was terrifying. She was just so excited and if Tyrone was honest, he was suffocating in her toxic enthusiasm. He was also excited, but he felt more like he could vomit at any moment. They were so close to their father’s house, it felt like someone was adding ten more pounds to his shoulders the closer they got. When he turned on to the right street, he pulled over quickly and rested his head on the steering wheel, trying to find his breath. 

“Ty?” Mabel put a hand on his shoulder, but he didn’t move, “Are you ok?” 

“No. No I am not okay.” His voice was shaky and Mabel swore he sounded so small and broken that she felt her throat tighten and her eyes water. 

“What’s wrong, Bro-roni?” She rubbed his back soothingly, but it wasn’t helping. 

“I don’t want to be rejected again…” Ty whispered and Mabel’s heart broke for him. Her mom had never told her about her brother and when he had shown up at their house, she had walked away from him and Mabel couldn’t believe her mother would walk away from a responsibility. She knew her mom needed a moment to compose herself, but Ty didn’t know that. That’s why he ran. Mabel couldn’t tell Ty it would be okay because if their dad couldn’t take him, then he’d be stuck in a foster home for two years until the state he lived in released him. She felt her eyes stinging, nibbling on her lip as he leant over to rest her head on Tyrone’s shoulder. He needed comfort and she couldn’t cry in front of him because he was crying and he was the one with all this hubbah-balooy to deal with. But she felt for him. And she was sad for him. Because her mom couldn’t take care of her daughter, herself and her son. That was too much for a single mom who struggled to pay rent anyway.   
Mabel wasn’t sure how long they were there or when she had wrapped her arms around his ribs as he choked on his sobs, but she knew that once he cried, he’d be okay to continue on this quest. They were almost there after all. Mabel pulled away when she felt him sit up. He was rubbed his face roughly to rid it of its puffy redness. 

“Are you ok?” Ty nodded, sniffling a bit and looking so obviously depressed, but she could tell that he really needed her hug. She held his hand and smiled reassuringly at him. “It’ll be ok, Ty.” He nodded and squeezed her hand before driving down the street to the house.The house wasn’t big, but it wasn’t small. Two stories and a calming green color with a balcony near one of the windows.Tyrone shut off the car, staring at the house. There was an old pick up truck sitting in the driveway, looking like it was going to fall apart.

“This is it… Are you ready?” he asked, turning to her. She nodded, putting on a strong face for him. Somehow he knew she was just as nervous now that they were here. She got out before he did, but he was the first one to the door. Mabel put a hand on his shoulder as he knocks, an awkward look on his face. It took a few minutes before someone answered the door. A handsome man, with dark circles under his eyes and five o'clock shadow covering his cheeks and jaw. His eyes were brown and sad, but they watered when he looked at them. Ty guessed the man knew who they were. One second, Ty was opening his mouth to say something and the next he was being pulled into a tight, warm hug with Mabel squished beside him. The man had his face pressed between their heads even though Tyrone was almost the same size as him. They both could feel the fat tears hitting their shoulders as the man cried silently. Mabel broke first, sobbing into the man’s chest and hugging him back as tightly as she could. Ty didn’t start crying until their dad kissed their heads and said their names. Like he knew them their whole lives. Ty wailed. Hard. So hard, he hyperventilated as he was being guided into the house. They were sat down in the living room and given hot cocoa to calm them down. It was quiet for a while. Their dad was the one to break it though, setting his mug down on the table and smiling at them.

“Sorry. Dipper isn’t here to meet you guys.” The two looked at each other briefly, confused. 

“Dipper?” Mabel asked, holding her mug to her chest. 

“Your brother,” he supplied. “He’s up in Gravity Falls with Grunkle Stan.” The two looked even more confused and kind of surprised. “You’re a set of triplets.” 

“Triplets?” Ty exclaimed, eyes wide. Mabel gasped next to him. Their dad nodded, getting up and grabbing something from a book shelf. He flipped through it and took out a picture. Ty took it slowly and looked at it with Mabel leaning over to see it as well. It was a picture of three babies, one with rosy cheeks and a big goofy smile on her face, one with a flushed nose and a birthmark shaped like the little dipper on his forehead and the last one with ears tipped pink and a hand in his mouth. They were so little, dressed up as little piglets. Ty covered his mouth with his hand, staring at the one with the birthmark. 

“That’s Dipper. He’s the youngest. Mabel, you’re oldest and Ty, you’re the middle. All of you were about 97 seconds apart and all very healthy. You all have this flushed skin too. Before your mom decided it wouldn’t work between us, we tried to be together. But, she wanted to go to college to provide better for you three. She took you with her, Mabel, so she could help you through times I couldn’t and Ty, you and your brother were going to stay with me.” He looked sad again. “But… my mom didn’t think I was fit to raise to boys on my own… So she took you away from me… I don’t know how she got custody, but she did and here we are now. Sixteen years later.” He teared up again and put his head in his hands. “You both grew up so great and I missed all of it…” Ty felt his heart clench at his father’s words and he couldn’t help but reaching out for him. 

“We’re here now…” Mabel nodded, following Ty’s example. “But I need your help…” Their dad looked up at them both before sitting up. 

“Anything for you.”

“Grandma… didn’t want me to live with you or mom or her brother. It’s written in her will. It says to send me to a foster home until I turn eighteen.” Their dad stared at him for an eternity; it was making him uncomfortable. 

"Are you serious?" He asked, a hint of anger in his voice. Ty nodded, eyes wide. "How dare that woman?! I'm not the best goddamn father, but I'm not a terrible one!" He had gotten up and was pacing around the room, flailing his arms around as he spoke angrily. "First she says I'm a fuck up and then she takes away one of my sons, no! She's not having you put in the foster system! Absolutely not!" He had stomped his foot down, halting himself. He frowned at the ground. Then he turned to Mabel. "Call your mother." Mabel got to her feet so fast, she was out the door before Ty could blink. Their dad motioned him to come here and walked out of the room. Tyrone followed and was lead to a room. 

"This is the guest bedroom. But now it's your new room." Ty blinked and looked up at him concerned. 

"If you can't provide for me-" he was cut off by his dad pulling him into a hug. 

"I am never letting you go again.." And Ty could tell he meant it. Mabel came into the room to hand their dad her cell. 

"She wants to talk to you." He nodded, taking it and walking out of the room. Mabel and Tyrone stared at each other for a moment before they hugged too. "You have a home!" She grinned. 

"Yeah... And a family." He squeezed her before letting go and flopping on the bed. "I can't believe it." He stared at the ceiling, dazed and still wanting to cry. Mabel flopped next to him and sighed happily. 

"I wonder if Dipper knows who we are?"

"I hope he does. It'll be awkward if he doesn't." 

"Well, dad does have a picture of all three of us," Mabel laughed. Ty closed his eyes, holding back the urge to think this was a dream. 

"True," was all he said and it was quiet in his room. Until their dad came back in with his own phone and handed Mabel's back to her. 

"Dipman, I know you like it up there, but there are people here you have to meet." There was a pause. "Grunkle Stan better come, he needs to come too." Another pause. "No, Dipper. Soos can not come.... Because I don't have room for him.... No. My decision is final, Dipper.... Alright. See you soon, kiddo. Love you too." He hung up and looked at them before smiling. "You two up for pizza?" 

"Aww yeah!!" They both sat up and spent the night watching movies with their dad, bonding and eating pizza together.


	6. Dipper Pines

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to my LOVELY AND AMAZING EDITOR this came out a week before I was going to post it.

Dipper didn't hate being in California, but he was on winter break and he wanted to spend some time with his Grunkle Stan and Soos. He wanted to check out the cemetery full of ghosts and see if there were zombies haunting the woods around the little town of Gravity falls. So on his plane ride home, he was obviously ticked off. He was ticked off through the drive home as well, his dad's small work car being forced to go way above the speed limit as he took the interstate home. He gripped the steering wheel tightly as he turned onto the exit and drove home, taking his sweet time now because he really didn't care for the people he was about to meet, courtesy of his father. It was that he didn't care for his dad, he did, but he was pretty sure ending his break short was a big no no. His dad acted like Dipper wasn't in college early, like he hadn't worked his ass off for the full ride through Stanford. And that ticked Dipper off even more.

It wasn't until he pulled into the driveway and saw the shiny new car by the house that he realized the people he would meet were probably pretty important. Dipper got out of the car, grabbed his bags before heading into the house. There was laughter inside; he could hear it through the door. He opened the door slowly and walked inside. The talking didn't stop and he could hear his dad laughing which was odd considering he hadn't laughed like that in years. Dipper went into the living room, setting his bags on the ground and the keys on the table. Two people sat opposite of his dad who was facing Dipper. His dad smiled at him, standing. 

"Dipper, how was your flight?" His dad asked, still standing. The bags under his eyes were lighter than he remembered and his face didn't have as many worry lines on them. 

"It was ok. Um.. Who're they?" He asked, just as the two stood up and turned around. Dipper was taken back by staring into the eyes of a boy who looked identical to him in every way. The boy offered him an awkwardly worried smile, gesturing to himself. 

"I'm Tyrone. And uh... this is Mabel," the boy gestured toward the girl who Dipper finally decided to look at. She had the same hair color as Tyrone did, rosy cheeks and an odd twinkle in her brown eyes. She also had a unicorn sticker on her face, but Dipper didn't notice that. "We're uh... We're..." Mabel stepped in front of him in a dramatic way, throwing her arms out to the sides. 

"We're two pieces of three!! And you're the last piece to this puzzle, Dippman!" She winked, firing her finger guns at him. He furrowed his brows at her confused before it clicked. 

"The babies.... In that picture?" He looked at his dad, who nodded his confirmation. "But... I didn't realize that was..." Mabel bounced over to him and ripped his hat off. She pushed his hair out of the way and poked him in seven different places on his forehead that lined up as the Little Dipper. "Hey!"

"You have this. And a pink nose. We're trips, broseph." Dipper stared at her with wide eyes, rubbing his forehead. 

"So..." Oh god, he was freaking out. He wasn't sure what to say, or how to act or what to do. His dad seemed to recognize when his son was faltering and pushed him to the kitchen. 

"We'll get sodas. You two stay here for a second." His dad walked with him into the kitchen and grabbed him a soda. He handed it to Dipper. He chugged it and put his head in his hands. A brother and a sister. 

"You kept it a secret?"

"No, the picture was always on the fridge. You never asked about it. I thought it was obvious." Dipper ran his hands through his hair and sighed. 

"But I have a brother and a sister. I'm part of a triplet set! And where were they?" Dipper kept his voice low, so the other two wouldn't hear him. 

"Well, your grandmother, Grunkle Stan's sister, took Tyrone away from me, She thought I wouldn't be a good enough parent for the both of you. Mabel has been with your mom since they moved to the east coast since your mom wanted to finish college and get the career she dreamed of but, not at the cost of leaving you and Tyrone alone. So I sent her pictures of you when I could, but, now my mother died, she wants Ty to be sent to a foster home." 

Dipper soaked in this information by staring at his father. His brother, who he didn't know at all, was being shipped to the foster care system because.... Why? 

"Why?" He blurted. His father shrugged, leaning against the counter. 

"I just know that I'm not letting that happen." Dipper frowned at that. He didn't want Ty to stay with them. He barely knew Ty. He didn't want to have someone he didn't know in his house. Plus, there was a girl here. Dipped didn't particularly mind her, but living with a girl was a nightmare for him. It has always just been him and Dad. He knew exactly what kind of lifestyle girls led. They were messy, and had periods and the bathroom would turn into a horror story turned real and no. Dipper was not about to deal with that. No. 

"He's not gonna stay here is he?" he said, a biting tone to his voice. His dad looked at him surprised then frowned. 

"Where else is he going to go?"

"I dunno, anywhere but here?"

"He's got nowhere else!" His dad was standing now. "That's your brother."

"I don't feel any connection to him just because he's my brother. I'm just saying that it'll be harder on us both to be forced together. We know nothing about each other." His dad stared at him hard before rubbing his face. 

"Get to know him then." 

"What about Mabel?"

"Get to know her too." With that, his dad walked out of the kitchen to talk to his other two kids. He couldn't believe his dad would just ignore him like that. He was pretty sure he was the one who grew up raised by his dad. It wasn't Tyrone or even Mabel that grew up knowing their dad. It was Dipper. And Dipper would be damned if he didn't make it known. He walked out into the living, clutching his soda in one hand and the other in his Jean pocket. He had a scowl on his face. 

"Hey Dipmaster!" Mabel called, waving. He frowned at her. Ty frowned back at him. Their dad was walking away, probably to get ready for work. 

"If you think I agree to you staying here, you're wrong." Dipper growled at them quietly. Mabel blinked before making a seriously scary face. 

"Look, buddy. I don't care if you don't like us or if you have a problem with Ty living with you until we turn eighteen, but you're just gonna have to deal! Cause this is my brother and even though you're my brother too, I won't have a problem kicking your tushy." Dipper blinked at her, then at Ty who was probably mirroring his own expression. He rubbed at his hair and looked around for his hat. 

"This isn't a problem with you, it's just I don't think my... dad can afford two more people," he explained, finding his hat and tugging it on to his head. 

"I can help with that," Ty piped in, raising his hand. "I can get a job. And Mabel lives with her mom, so it's not like she's staying long." Dipper wasn't sure he cared very much how long she was staying, as long as she didn't stay forever. He rolled his eyes briefly at them before wandering upstairs. His dad was going to work and that meant he had to be alone with them. And that was something he soooo did not want to do. They weren't very loud though, which was a plus. He probably could hear them though since his room was on the opposite top end of the house. It was eleven when he decided to go back down stairs briefly for food and snuck back up. He didn't want any kind of encounter with the other two. When he finally decided to lie down, he couldn't help but think about how Tyrone's presence was going to change everything. Dipper frowned as he thought about it. Sure, it must be nice to be reunited with his real parents, but Dipper couldn't sympathize with that. He didn't care if his mom didn't want him. All Dipper needed was his dad. Dipper made sure his dad didn't have to work for anything in Dipper's life. Wasn't it good enough that he was in college already, at the ripe age of sixteen? Wasn't it good enough that he was working and bought his own car, no matter how shitty it was? Wasn't Dipper good enough? 

He glanced at the alarm by his bed and frowned at the time it read. He hadn't realized he'd been lying there for almost four hours. It was 3:37 and he hadn't gotten any sleep. Dipper sighed and pushed his hair back. Sleep was going to be difficult tonight. He closed his eyes, lying his arms over his face. 

"I don't want Tyrone here..." He said to himself quietly. He heard the front door open and close. He sat up slowly and went to greet his dad at the door. The man looked worse for wear, the bags under his eyes darker than they had been that day. He looked up at Dipper as the teenager made his way towards him. 

"Dip? What're you doing up? Couldn't sleep?" He whispered, a frown on his face. Dipper could tell he wasn't really frowning at the fact that Dipper was up, but at the fact that the teen had never gotten a full nights sleep since he turned twelve. He shook his head in response. 

"Did you have a hard night?" he asked, following his dad into the kitchen for coffee. 

"No, it was just long. So many stupid people wander around drunk at night." Dipper took in the way his father's uniform was slightly disheveled and kind of dirty. "Got tossed into some dirt." That explained the clothes. Dipper sat on the counter while his dad made coffee for the both of them. 

"I... I don't want him here..." The teen admitted quietly. His dad didn't react much to that. He knew Dipper was overthinking it. 

"You should get to know him. I have to do that anyway. But he can't be that different from you. He likes mysteries and Sci-Fi as much as you do." Dipper made a face at his dad's back. He slipped off the counter slowly. 

"I'm going to try to get some sleep." His dad nodded, turning to give his son a hug. 

"Try not to overthink it, ok? We'll get by."

"I know, dad. We always do." The teen patted his father on the back and pulled away to go back upstairs. As soon as he collapsed on the bed, he fell asleep.


End file.
